Kindergarten 101
by Raven in the Ash Tree
Summary: Welcome to the new life of Uchiha Sasuke. It involves waking up to a bundle of energy, feeding said bundle, taking bundle to school and then working for the rest of the day. Now, Sasuke's pretty happy with this arrangement, but it would seem his meddling brother isn't. Which is probably why Itachi just pushed Sasuke into the red head he sees at his bundle's school...
1. Chapter 1

Kindergarten 101

Chapter One

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><p><em>Monday September 5<em>_th__, 2014_

The dark haired man watched his bedroom door inch open little by little. He could see the messy hair of his daughter already sticking out from behind the door. He could give her props for how quiet she was, compared to when she first started sneaking into his room to wake him up. Sasuke's lips turned up in the corners as he watched his daughter crawl into the room once the door had opened enough for her tiny body to slip in.

She did a barrel roll from the doorway to the end of Sasuke's bed. That was something he could blame Naruto for. His blond best friend enjoyed teaching Koemi the best ways to put grass stains in her clothes. And of course, after that, Sasuke would get chewed out by Sakura for letting their daughter mess up her clothes. Sasuke cringed at the memory.

Messy black hair peeked up from the end of his bed and Sasuke had to bite his lip to stifle any laughter.

"Koemi, what are you doing?" the raven asked his daughter.

The small, oval shaped face of Koemi popped up and a wide smile spread across her face. "Morning Dad! Guess what day it is today!" The small girl began hopping up and down, her grin growing.

Sasuke watched with an amused look on his face. Naruto's influence on Koemi was obvious to someone like Sasuke, who'd grown up in a very strict household. She preferred to smile all day rather than frown even once, she would fidget and play with her clothes when she was nervous and when she was excited, it was impossible to stop her from moving – all very similar traits to a certain blond haired idiot.

To excited to wait, Koemi decided to answer her own question. "It's the first day of school!"

"Koemi, you've been counting down for the last week. Trust me; I know what day it is."

The little raven haired girl pouted. "You could at least _act_ like you're excited then, Dad."

Sasuke shook his head and tossed the covers off his legs. The bedroom was cold and brought goose bumps to the raven's skin. "I can't act to save my life," he replied as he got up from the bed.

He mentally patted himself on the back for buying a carpeted apartment instead of hardwood. His feet were still warm and cozy thanks to the fuzzy fabric under them.

"You should ask Naru to teach you. He's good at it," Koemi told him, skipping out from the room.

Sasuke frowned and followed after his daughter. "When have you seen Naruto acting?"

"When Hina asks him if he's taken out the garbage and he hasn't."

"Koemi, that's called lying and it's not good."

"But Naru does it."

"Naruto isn't the best influence," Sasuke said. "How Hinata puts up with him is beyond me," he muttered to himself.

The girl shrugged and led the man into the kitchen. "Dad, can I have eggs today?" The older raven nodded and went to get a start on their breakfast. Koemi climbed up into her chair and happily swung her legs back and forth under the table. "Do you think I'll see Naru at school today?"

Sasuke shrugged as he pulled a small purple frying pan out from one of the lower cupboards. He turned on one of the elements on the stove and placed the pan down on top of it. Quickly, he buttered down the slowly heating surface and grabbed some eggs from the fridge. While the pan heated more, Sasuke turned and looked over his daughter.

Koemi was lucky. She'd somehow gained her fathers' untamable raven hair, his eye shape, his mothers' cute oval face, and Sakura's green eyes. Sasuke's brother often told him that she had his smile as well, you just couldn't tell because Sasuke was a sour puss. Sasuke was sure Itachi would have called him something different if Koemi hadn't been in hearing range.

"Is that what you're wearing today?" the older raven asked, observing the white and yellow dress she had chosen for herself.

Koemi nodded excitedly. "It's the one Mom sent me!"

Sasuke pressed his lips together in a firm line. He couldn't exactly say anything about it, since Sakura _was_ the girl's mother, even if she didn't act it. He forced himself to nod and then turned back to the stove.

"Make sure to brush your hair and teeth after your done breakfast."

"Okay!"

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><p>"Ah! There's Naru and Hina!"<p>

Sasuke's scowl deepened as he followed behind his daughter through the gates of Konoha Private Elementary. Just as Koemi has pointed at, standing at the doors of the school were his best friend and the blond's wife.

Naruto was someone you could easily pick out in a crowd. He was tall, having hit a growth spurt during his first year of college. His blond hair was unruly and bright, the sunlight catching on the stands and making them even brighter. And to top it all off, the idiot had bright blue eyes. He was practically the example of a foreigner in Japan.

On his left was a small-ish woman with long, long black hair. Her bangs cut across her forehead, just above her delicate eyebrows. Her eyes were large and pale. Sometimes Sasuke questioned whether the woman was actually blind and just knew how to hide it very well. But then again, her cousin, sister and father all had the same eyes. Somehow, her soft and doll-like features complimented Naruto's bright and loud appearance.

"Koemi, you have to call Hinata 'Missus Uzumaki' now. She's your teacher."

The little raven paused, looking back at Sasuke. "Huh, I never thought about that."

Sasuke heaved a heavy sigh. "You spend way too much time with Naruto."

They maneuvered their way through the mass of parents and children until they finally reached the couple. Naruto noticed the two right away and a beaming smile lit up his face.

"Hey there Sasuke!" The raven ducked under the blond's arm, avoiding the hug he would have been forced to endure. This didn't deter Naruto in the slightest. "And here's my favourite girl," he grinned and scooped up Koemi.

The girl giggled and wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck. "Naru, do I have to call you something else, like Hina? Ops, I mean, Missus Uzumaki?"

The blond shook his head. "Nope! I teach at the high school, so you don't have to call me anything different."

Naruto was the English teacher at Konoha Public High School, the same place he'd gone to school almost 12 years ago. Hinata was one of the two kindergarten teachers at Konoha Private Elementary, where she'd started her school life. Neither of these career choices surprised Sasuke. Naruto's father was the founder for both the private and public branches of the Konoha schools. Hell, even Naruto's mother was a teacher at the private high school.

"That's good, 'cause I don't think it'll be easy to remember to call Hina 'Missus Uzumaki'."

"Just think about how hard it's going to be for Hiroki. He's got to go from calling her Mom to Missus."

Koemi crinkled her nose. "That would be hard."

Naruto laughed and nodded. He leaned down and carefully set the raven girl back on her feet. She scurried back over to her father while Naruto turned to Hinata. "Where _is_ that brat of ours?"

Hinata laughed softly. "He's already in the classroom; he didn't want to wait to see everything."

The blond shook his head, raising a hand and running his fingers through his hair. "Definitely my kid," he said.

"Hn."

"Oh come on Sasuke. It's the first day of school for those two; can't you be a little bit happy?" Naruto asked, pouting much like Koemi had early that morning.

Sasuke gave his best friend a long look before putting on the most forced and fake smile he could come up with. "Better?"

"Smart-aleck." From below, Koemi laughed as Naruto smirked. "You know, you look an awful lot like Sai when you do that."

Immediately the raven relaxed his face, turning the forced smile into his usual frown.

"Koemi, you're Dad's a stick in the mud."

"Stick in the mud?" Koemi repeated, tilting her head a little bit.

Naruto nodded. "It means he likes to be broody."

"Look at that, Dad. I'm already learning things!" Koemi turned her head up to look at her father, a big grin on her face.

"Fantastic," Sasuke muttered, glaring at the laughing blond across from him.

"Naruto, don't you have to get to the school soon?" Hinata asked from behind them. Sasuke had almost forgotten she was there.

The blond raised his hand and checked the watch strapped around his wrist. "Sadly, I do," he lowered his arm and turned to Sasuke again. "What about you, Sasuke? You leaving soon too?"

Onyx eyes glanced down at the little raven, a look Hinata didn't miss. "Don't worry, Sasuke. I'll bring her to class with me. I'm just waiting for the other teacher now."

Sasuke nodded slowly and crouched down, getting at eye level for the little girl. "Be good, learn lots and make some friends."

Koemi smiled and wrapped her little arms around Sasuke's neck. She gave him a little squeeze before letting go. "Don't worry about me, Dad. Naru says I'm much more friendly than you."

"Of course he did," the raven grumbled.

Koemi quickly pressed a kiss to her fathers' cheek before rushing over to Hinata. Both girls waved at the men as they left the yard, waiting till both had turned from the gate.

"Alright, missy, let's see if we can spot Miss Kojima," Hinata picked up the five year old and made her way through the crowd around them.

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><p>Uchiha Itachi was a stickler for being on time for everything. Maybe it was because his father had engraved the phrase 'the early bird gets the best worm'. Or maybe even because his mother had taught him that it was impolite to make people wait on you. For all he knew, it could have been a combination of the both. But that part didn't matter today. What mattered was the sight he'd found himself gazing at while waiting for his niece to notice him <em>because<em> he'd been early.

The afternoon sun poured down into the yard of the elementary school where the remaining kindergarteners had gathered. Almost every child and adult in the yard had black or brown hair, easily labelled as 'normal'. Even Koemi seemed to almost blend into the horde or children.

But what really cause Itachi's attention was the young woman talking adamantly to his niece and the group of children around her. It wasn't as much as the fact that the woman spoke with her hands as well as her mouth, or that she was standing outside in the still early spring weather in a long billowing skirt. It was her bright red hair that caught his attention. The strangely coloured locks were bound at the back of her head in a tight pony tail and looked like blood spilt onto snow.

One look at his little niece and Itachi knew that whatever this woman was talking about had captured the attention of the little raven. Koemi had the same expression Sasuke used to wear when Itachi or their mother would tell him bedtime stories. It made the older Uchiha curious to what the redhead could possibly be talking about.

Taking another look at the small group gathered around the woman, he noticed a familiar head of blond hair. Uzumaki Hiroki was just as much of his fathers' son as Koemi was Sasukes' daughter. With bright blond hair and milky blue eyes it was impossible for anyone to deny the boy's parentage. And sitting between Koemi and Hiroki was a slightly older boy with sandy brown hair. He was smiling and nodding along with whatever the woman in front of them said.

The bell ringing broke whatever trance that the kids had been under and immediately they returned to bouncing balls of energy. Itachi smirked and finally opened his door, tired of waiting inside the stuffy car for his niece.

"Alright kids, remember what I told you about your homework books. I want at least one page done by tonight," the redhead woman called out to the moving mass of cheering children. Itachi noted that the sandy brown haired boy stuck close to the woman's legs, his fingers fisted in her long skirt.

The gates opened up and children wandered out, easily finding parents, siblings or guardians.

"Uncle 'Tachi!" Koemi cried out, launching herself at the older Uchiha.

Itachi chuckled and squatted down to speak clearly to the young girl. "How was your day, Koemi?"

The raven girl grinned. "It was awesome! We learned about the calendar today and what month comes first and Miss Kojima even started reading us a book!"

"Oh? What book was it?"

"It was called _James and the Giant Peach_, but I can't remember who wrote it."

"Oh, that's a good one. Come on, you're spending the night at my house tonight," Itachi told the girl.

The grin fell from Koemi's face. "Dad's working tonight?"

Itachi sighed and stood up, dropping one hand on top of the girl's head and ruffling her black locks. "If you'd like we can go back to your house and wait for your dad?"

Koemi shook her head. "It's fine. I know you have work at home too."

"Are you sure? I can always do the paper work another time."

"It's okay."

Itachi threw one more glance over his shoulder, trying to find the red haired woman. Without any luck, he turned back and started steering Koemi towards his car. Once he had the little Uchiha buckled up in her car seat, Itachi started the car and out of the corner of his eye, he saw red. Itachi's head quickly snapped in the direction he'd seen it and found the woman walking with Uzumaki Hinata, her son and the little sandy haired boy.

With a curious expression, Itachi started the car and turned onto the road. "Koemi, who was the red haired lady?"

"Red hair?" the girl titled her head. Her face lit up and she grinned. "Oh! That's Miss Kojima!"

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><p><strong>Hi there, lovely readers.<strong>

**So, you stumbled across my new fanfiction, happy days! This idea has been in my head for a while now and I've decided to start writing it out. But, I dunno... I don't exactly know if I'm doing a good job with staying true to the canon characters. That's one reason why I'm actually posting this story - to get some advice on my writing and how to make it better.**

**Soooooo, it would really help me if you review and tell me what you think. Even if it's bad. **

**(P.S. I didn't do a read through, but I will be soon. So please, forgive me for any typos)**

**Okay, love you all,**

**Raven in the Ash Tree**


	2. Chapter 2

Kindergarten 101

Chapter Two

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><p><em>Tuesday September 6<em>_th__, 2014_

He almost forgot what it felt like to get beaten away with a pillow.

The soft, silky pillow that usually rested on the unused side of his bed was being pummeled against the dark haired man's head and shoulders. Every time it hit against his skin the pillow would make a soft sound.

Itachi used to think his pillows felt like clouds under his head.

With a throaty croak, he nabbed the offending pillow from his niece and covered his face with it. The fabric felt cool against his warm cheek and he nuzzled against the smoothness of the pillow case. Koemi let out a small, amused laugh before she did the worst thing imaginable.

She ripped away Itachi's blanket.

The proud Uchiha did _not_ whine once the cool air his legs and arms. He did _not_ curl into a human ball and he definitely did _not_ let out a little pathetic moan. Itachi was an Uchiha and Uchiha were not known for whimpering because of a cold room.

"Uncle 'Tachi, it's time to get up," Koemi told her uncle, flopping down on top of his curled up legs.

She waited patiently for a full five seconds. The man below her showed no signs of movement. Koemi huffed, her lips turned down into a pout and her eyebrows pulled down towards each other. She pushed herself up from Itachi's body, wobbled slightly on the squishy material under her feet but righted herself. Itachi still hadn't moved. Koemi let out a loud sigh before planting her little hands on her hips and stared down coolly at the older Uchiha.

Itachi didn't know when it happened, or who had taught her, but Koemi had become very accomplished at using the Uchiha Glare. Maybe she learned it after watching Sasuke and himself use it so many times, or maybe from her grandfather. Well, whoever she learnt it from had done an amazing job teaching her. Itachi could feel the back of his neck prickling from her cool green stare. It was unnerving and made his stomach twist.

Was this how everyone else felt when confronted with the Uchiha Glare?

"Fine," Itachi grumbled and pulled the pillow away from his face. "I'm up, I'm up."

The green glare immediately melted into the usual carefree smile of his niece. Yes, Itachi thought, she spends _way_ too much time around other Uchihas. She easily jumped down from the bed and ran back into the hall, making her way into the kitchen.

Itachi rolled so that his feet were lying flat on the cold hardwood floor of his bedroom. A shiver ran up his spine but he ignored it, forcing himself to stand and stretch out his stiff limbs. He ran a hand through his slightly messy hair and sighed. Itachi thought back on what he'd bought for breakfast foods the week before, only coming up with one thing – Lucky Charms. Probably not the healthiest thing for a five year old to be eating before school.

Itachi blamed Sasuke for his lack of kid friendly food. As it usually was, Sasuke gave no warning to Itachi beforehand that he'd be having a sleep over with his niece. Really, Itachi should have just _known_ by now to stock up of things like eggs, bread, fruits but he really didn't have the storage space in his head most of the time.

"Koemi, there's some cereal in the cupboard under the sink," Itachi said offhandedly as he walked into the kitchen.

After a quick inspection of the box she'd retrieved, Koemi looked up at her uncle and raised an eyebrow. "I don't think Dad would approve of me eating sugar for breakfast."

Itachi snorted. "It's not sugar. There are cereal things and marshmallows." He paused, before looking down at her. "And what your father doesn't know won't hurt him."

Koemi giggled and nodded. She set the cereal box on the counter and waited while Itachi pulled down a bowl and spoon for her. He found the jug of milk in the fridge and put that out for her as well.

"Aren't you going to have any?"

Itachi shook his head.

The girl frowned as she set her full bowl down on the table, in front of her usual spot. "Mom says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

He bit his tongue, keeping any nasty words locked up in his head. There were quite a few things Itachi could say about Haruno Sakura, but none of which were appropriate for little ears.

"Eating after I wake up makes my stomach sick," Itachi explained, opting to just ignore the comment about Koemi's mother.

She nodded and dug into the sugary cereal.

Itachi sat down across from the little raven, watching her eat with a raised eyebrow. For someone who hadn't wanted to eat sugar so early, the girl loved it. Sasuke would try to kill him if his sweet tooth wore off on the little Uchiha. The thought made Itachi smirk.

"So, did you end up finishing the worksheet your teacher gave you?"

Koemi nodded again, her mouth full of mushed up food. Once she swallowed she grinned at her uncle. "Yeah, it was really easy cause Miss Kojima showed us how to do it. She even wrote out the alphabet for use on the top of the page."

"Oh? What was it you had to do?"

"We had to write our names and five words we picked out."

"What did you pick?"

Koemi smiled and leaned back in her chair. "I picked 'cat', 'dad', 'blue', 'orange' and 'flower'," she replied with a proud look on her little face.

Itachi chuckled and leaned forward. "Wow, those are some pretty good words. You should show your Dad when he picks you up today."

Koemi nodded eagerly. "I will!"

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><p>Itachi looked around the yard, hoping to catch sight of a certain red head who'd peeked his interest the day before. Maybe it was because of her red hair? Itachi had only seen hair that red on one other person, Naruto's cousin, Karin. But the red head his niece called 'Miss Kojima' looked nothing like the Uzumaki woman. Karin's hair was a touch more pink than red while the teacher's hair was like blood.<p>

Itachi walked his niece up to the main doors, meeting the familiar face of Uzumaki Hinata along the way.

"Uzumaki, I forgot that you teach the kindergarten class," he greeted with a nod of his head.

The pale woman lowered her head and nodded. "Y-Yes, Minata p-picked and M-miss Kojima to – to teach this y-years children."

Itachi smiled politely before looking around again. "Yes, Koemi seems to have taken a shining to Miss. Kojima. Yesterday I saw her and your boy talking to her."

Hinata smiled, a little shakily given her company. "H-Hiroki already k-knew her before t-today. She's o-our neighbor and o-occasionally babysits h-him."

Itachi tilted his head a little. So the mysterious red head was friends with the Uzumaki family.

"Ah! I found Miss. Kojima! Uncle 'Tachi, can I go say hi?"

The dark haired man blinked, looked down at Koemi and then over in the direction the girl was pointed at. Itachi could easily pick out the redhead who was weaving her way through chattering children and their parents and siblings. Today she'd dressed in an oversized sweater that covered her hands, another long, billowy skirt and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail again.

It was odd. This woman wasn't overly attractive; he'd probably describe her as 'cute' rather than beautiful or even sexy. But something about her kept pulling his attention to her.

Itachi looked down at Koemi and nodded. He watched her practically barrel her way through the other children to get to the redhead and snickered to himself. Some of those kids would have elbow shaped bruises tomorrow.

"O-Oh, Mei isn't late t-today," he head Hinata murmur to herself. "Odd."

So, her name was Kojima Mei, hm? Itachi stored the information away for later.

* * *

><p>The large classroom was buzzing. There were children sitting at the carpet, blocks in hand or large books in their laps. Other kids were at the small circular tables around the room, some working on their work sheets while others had glue and sparkles on their hands.<p>

The classroom itself was alive with colours. Each table was large and circular, fitting at least five kids comfortably. The chairs were all multi-colored with handmade name tags on the backs. The walls were covered with posters of animals, numbers and letters, each one brighter and more colourful than the last. Even the chalkboard had cute little drawings of rabbits and frogs drawn in chalk.

Mei hadn't exactly been expecting this kind of setting when she first decided to start teaching, but it was a stepping stone to where she actually wanted to go.

"Miss Kojima, I gotta _go!_"

The red haired woman spun around on the heel of her boot. Standing there was a little boy named Yuto, his legs pressed together and his bottom lip sucked into his mouth. Mei sighed and quickly scurried the boy into the side bathroom.

No, this was definitely not how she imagined her teaching career.

Once Yuto finished with his business, Mei led him back out into the classroom. It was exactly as she left it, except for the two girls fighting over a jar of glitter. The lit popped off and Mei wince, instantly regretting bringing out the small jars in the first place. She could see Hinata across the room, also cringing at the mess the two girls made.

"Off you go," Mei murmured to Yuto before she swept over to the cupboard where they usually stashed the broom and dustpan.

Hinata gave her a weak smile of appreciation before continuing to help one of the children with their work sheet. Mei made her way over to the mess of sparking dots, careful not to smack any of the kids with the broom. Sometimes she felt more like a maid to a herd of children rather than a teacher in a prestigious school.

"Miss Kojima, do you want any help?"

Mei's head tilted as she blinked down at the little black haired girl watching her. Uchiha Koemi was a friendly girl with a slightly evil streak – something Mei had found out about the day before when Koemi 'accidently' tripped one of the older kids bullying another girl.

"You know what? That would be great, Koemi," Mei handed over the dustpan to the girl.

"So, just put it on the ground when you sweep?"

The redhead nodded, "That's it! It helps if you tip the back up a little."

"Like this?" Koemi took the suggestion and found the glitter swept easier into the dustpan.

"Exactly like that. Good job," Mei smiled. "Do you help your mom do chores at home?"

Koemi lowered head, crouching down on the floor as Mei swept the glitter into the pan. "Mom is living with Kiba now. She doesn't come visit anymore."

Mei's smile softened a bit, her eyes lowering. "You know, just because she doesn't come see you doesn't mean she's not thinking of you."

"You think so?" Koemi asked, her voice small.

Mei nodded. "When I was your age both my parents were always out. But when I _did_ see them again it was always lots of fun."

"Yeah… Dad always takes me for ice cream after he spends nights working."

"See? Your dad probably thinks about you all the time when he's not home."

They finished cleaning up in silence, just listening to the other kids around them talk. Mei observed the girl as she wondered back over to Hiroki and her nephew, Kojima Kazuya at their table near the play carpet. Koemi was definitely a cute girl; her black hair is pigtails and dressed in a little pink bunny skirt. Kazuya had gone on for almost an hour the day before about Koemi, saying how smart she was and how friendly and nice. Of course, Mei couldn't disagree with him, so she let the boy ramble on and on about the girl.

Mei smiled slightly to herself. It was good that Kazuya was making friends. He was away from his parents, and Mei knew exactly what that was like. Back then, she had spent all her time with her own friends and her brother to force back the confusion of her parent's leaving.

As soon as the boy had moved in, he'd made friends with Hiroki, which was good for Mei. She didn't have to rush back and forth after school to make sure both boys had what they needed when she was on babysitting duty. Instead, she just brought Hiroki to her house across the street. By the end of the night, they'd wait for Hinata or Naruto to get home, and Mei would give the blond boy a piggy back ride.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. The redhead's shoulder sagged as she put the broom back into the closet.

Thank God the school day was over.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello again, my lovelies!<strong>

**So, I'm glad a few of you liked it enough to favourite or follow it. Seriously, it's a big help for when I'm struggling to write and I look back and see how many of you are waiting already for the next chapter (even if it's only two). **

**I would have gotten this chapter out sooner, but holy crap! the last big of this chapter, Mei's bit, was a pain in the ass to write out! I started it in Sasuke's perspective and didn't like it, then in Koemi's perspective... Didn't like that either! So, when I decided to try out Mei's it somehow worked. So, I'm really sorry if you guys hate how much the story is jumping around. I promise that it'll only be those three point of views. **

**(Again, I didn't really read it over, other than to add or take away a few paragraphs.)**

**Now, I got an awesome review from one _gunslayer12, _which, by the way, made me extremely happy. It was actually the first thing I saw yesterday morning and it got me going on this chapter. I'll be doing all my replies to reviews here, in the authors' notes, unless you have a question that you want to send me in a PM. I promise that I'll get to those ASAP.**

**gunslayer12 -** _Again, thanks for being the first person to review! You're right about Sakura leaving, as you **must** have figured out by now. The history between her and Sasuke will be explained in later chapters. The redhead - Mei - isn't related to Naruto. She's actually a cousin of Gaara, who will be coming out in later chapters as well. I really hope that I keep the characters true to themselves... I hate reading fanfiction that have OOC personalities so I think I'd feel pretty terrible if I can't keep them in character **myself. **Hope to hear your view on this chapter as well!  
><em>

**Okay guys, lots of love from me, I'll be seeing you soon.**

**Raven in the Ash Tree**


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